Ramblers get access to digital Ordnance Survey maps

A new software package has been launched that adds GPS, 3D-viewing, aerial photography and route planning to digital maps from the Ordnance Survey and Philips.

Created by British based firm Anquet, customers can choose individual titles all 403 detailed OS Explorer Maps that together cover the whole of Great Britain. At 1:25,000 scale the maps offer the highest level of detail available to the outdoor enthusiast.

The software is available for PCs, Pocket PCs and Smartphones and aims to give everyone from ramblers to mountain bikers and hardened walkers access to digital mapping both in the home and on the go without having to worry about what is lost on the fold.

AnquetMaps include a license for unlimited personal printing via PC.

The Anquet software also provides many additional functions, including digital place search, route planning and a virtual 3D landscape emulator. Maps and routes can be transferred to a Pocket PC or Smartphone for map viewing, route checking or place search on the move.

If the Pocket PC of Smartphone has a GPS receiver, or supports GPS via Bluetooth, then installing Anquet Maps will turn it into an "off-road" satellite navigation and route planning solution.

With many GPS-equipped PDAs and Smartphones already purchased for in-car navigation, Anquet's software offers users a simple way to extend their use outside the car.